Illness/Sickness: Sick Juvenile Axie

[Govtchris]

Hey I'm new on here and I had a question about an axolotl I recently purchased.

I ordered a juvenile black axolotl about a month ago and he has been doing fine until recently. I live at a university and I recently came home and brought him with me. This is the first time he has had to travel a long distance. Ever since we've been home he hasn't been doing too well though. I keep him in a small plastic holder because of his size (2 inches) and I recently bought a small hideaway for him to sit in. I have been feeding him on a steady diet of pellets and have started trying to mix in blood worms as well. He isn't really eating either of these though. I buy purified, chlorine-free water for the tank since we don't really have any way to get the water cleanser to clean the water. I keep the water relatively cold, as you are supposed to. His gills have been upturned and his tail has been slightly crooked so I know that he is stressed. He hasn't been eating and has been pretty lethargic since we got home though. Could this just be stress from the trip? It was Friday afternoon and he hasn't really been eating much at all. I did see him eat one tiny blood worm though.

Like I said, I'm new at this thing and I've studied up on what to do. I'm just unsure now.

 

[Methodzki]

He seems to be stressed after the travel. If it was a long one the temperature might go a bit high. Plus being moved in a container creates a lot of water disruption so his whole world was taken away, he found himself in a new bizarre one where everything is shaking and moving. It is quite a lot to take for the little fella.
Give him some time, make sure water is cool and give him some time and distance... Do not check on him every 15 minutes, put him somewhere quiet where he wont be disturbed. Live him for a day or two in peace. Just live him some food, he will eat it when he will be ready.

Nothin to worry about. Should be fine in a couple of days.

 

[Kaysie]

Are you using spring water, or distilled/RO water?

 

[Govtchris]

I'm using Nestle Purified water. I checked and it isn't supposed to be chlorinated.

 

[Kaysie]

Often, 'purified' water is distilled, meaning it's had all the minerals removed from it. That will leech ions from your axolotl, causing distress, and maybe eventually death. Here's an article on using bottled water.

 

[Govtchris]

Alright. I think he is doing a little better. He isn't looking as bad but he is still kind of pale. Should this mean anything?

 

[Kaysie]

They can be pale when they're cold or when they're sleeping/resting. If the color comes back during times of activity, like feeding, it's nothing to cause alarm.

 

[Govtchris]

Yeah I am pretty sure he is okay now. I put in a about the normal amount of food and he usually only eats a few pieces and I clean out the rest after about an hour. He ate every bit of it and is just kinda chillin and bein fat now. So I'm gonna guess that he isn't in a funk anymore

 

[Methodzki]

Happy times!